Socket for electric lamps.



I No. 881,297. PATENTED MAR. l0, 1908.

C.C. BURTCN. SOCKET 'PCR ELECTRIC LAMPS;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1907.

35 of the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. BURTON, OF PERU, INDIANA.

SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

lSpeciication of I Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Application filed March'l'l, 1907. Seria! No. 362,269.

Tooll' whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residm at Peru,

Y, in the county of Miami and State o Indiana, have invented new and useful Im rovements A an improved socket for electric lamp bulbs,'

the specific pur oses being to .facilitatethe engagement of t e shell with the cap and its disengagement therefrom and avoid the danger o accidental disengagement; to reduce the liability of short circuiting when in the absence of the lamp a foreign conducting body is intruded into the socket when the keyis turned on, and to simplify and reduce the cost of construction.

It consistsof the features of construction for these pavijposes which are described and shown asset o ut in the claims.

vIn the drawings Figure 1 is an axial section of thbap and shell of a lamgsocket ern- 'bodying these improvements.

' 'axial section ofthe insulatingbase elements and the artmounted thereon at thelineI Fii 'Fig'. 3 is a similar section at ig. 2 is 'an 2--2 on g. 4. the line 3 3 on Fi 4. Fig. 4 is a section at igs. 2f and' 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view vof acatch device which is made rigid with the cap for connecting'the shell thereto.l Fig. 6 is a detail sectionv at the hline 6-6 on Fig. 3. Fig.. 7 is adetail section porcel'am base at the line 7- 7 -on Figf4. The prises a shell, -1, Whichis, connected 'with the cap, 2, 3 being "a snap device for coimectin 40 the two parts, 1 and 2, together. The shed comprises an interiorly. threaded hlb or cenf ltral collar portion2, 1Withl Whiclith'e", re- `f m-ainder of the shell is rigid.. flhe snap de'- vice, 3, consists of a ringfor-v collarportiom 4,5 3a, having twov oppositely4 projecting spring arms, 3b,'each terminating in a catch nose, 3'. The v snap device is made rigld'with the capby brazi conforming-tothe shape of the' bell portion, 2", of the cap, the catc structure shown'iiiI thedraWiiig-s c zilnfi-f proj ectin from the or otherwise rigidly securi the ring orco 'ar portion, 3, on to the 50 or collar, 2"','of the cap, the tWo spring ainsf' 3b, extending vup within andisubstan tially noses, 3, registering.- Witiuand being ina position to -prol-,rud'e'-` through apertures, 2d, inthe marg'nallia e ci the' cap. The shell, 1,'has the usual notc adapted to register 'w1th the apertures, 2", of the cap when the larger end of the shell is inserted within the marginal flange of the tures, 1b and 2b, registering, it Will bese'en that the catch noses, 3c, protruding through the apertures of both t e'iegistered parts will retain them securelyfiii engagement.

the form of the nnder side of the catch noses,

for a distance, V"3, anda-.then extending straight,'-that is, substantially at right les to the axis of the socken-for the 'remanning ortion, 3f, of saidedge, said por--y tion, `3, innr long enou hi to `extend out through' the t 'ckness' of t ie-shell when the latter is inserted, so that the lower edge "of the mfch, 1b, 'of the shell will enlou'ntder said straig t ortion 3 ,u on an u ten to Withdravif) the shell frldm thlap. Thiilgnd of the nose, 3, projects far enough out from the cap sothat it. may be pressed by the: iin er of the operator inward av distanceescape, .past it.

wit out any attention. totlie catch `Ifoses which Will be crowded back byouliter of the lower edge of th hell-fand will 4'spring into the v t e catch prises.; Anydesii' spring arms-or ling s,

ung num er'oifre'gisterin'gf @bis provided' in the capiiang nd.shell.`- Two-V 1s ordinarily sufficient forseie engl Aement l of the parts, ax' 1cl-'r1-.or@ 'dl'narilY prefera ,le tQ-j.' larger number because the 'operatonjinnot readily With .onefhand' press in.' inore'than two for disengagingthe shell. V* j 54 and '5. are respectivelyv the lower and upjper-parts of the msulatin element or base.

'llpon the u per ngidly'the t ea ed Vlama eng is made ma familiarmanner w 'th one termi- Accidental disengagement is prevented by` 3?', said noses having tlie underedge tapered.

1, for the stem of the key and has also two oppositely situated'apertures, 1b, which are cap. When thus `inserted with the 4'aper-A :whlch will 'bring the slantportion, 3e, of they-"2.1. under edge of the nose in the path of. the edge vof the notch, 1b so that-the shellu on bein "hay 916, SeGllled toget ferjhyrbolta 4X. 1-

MHT-Sailing@ mounted fnal of the carbon ilamex'it"` of the lamp not il shownl p Bethel the contacteshelI-secung screws, 4X, also secure the circ11itconnec tion piece6, through which the blnding screw, 6d, is set and exposed at the side of the posed in the switch chamber and the other excenter thereof by the screw,A 11.

posed in the cavity of the contact shell, 6, and intermediately extending through the aperture, .5b. I s ring loop it protrudes up mto the cavlty of tile shell, 6, its limb in the switch chamber lying close u against the under side of saidu per wall o said switch chamber. lts resi iency permits it to be-depressedmto the switch chamber to a position shown 1n dotted line in Fig. 2. The switch chamberl communicates from the cavity, 4, of the lower part laterally through an aperture, 4P, wlth the outer surface, and the bindlng screw, 9, vfor one of the inle'ading wires is set intoa metal connectionpicce, l0, which extends 1n through said aperture and is secured to the lower part, 4, of the insulating base Vat the The same screw binds rmly on to the connection Y ieee,` 10, the, spring contact piece, 12,ewhich 1s folded in a loop or bow, 12", and has the upper end reliexed overhanging the lower end and fastening screw, 1 1, extending across the direction of the stemof the key, 13, which carries the tumbler block, 14, which may be ,of any customary form and connected inany 40` customary manner with the stem for rotation .therewith with a certain amount of play thereon serving well understood purposes.

The tumbler block, '14,'as usual 1s oblong sideswhen the/key is at oil and at the oil position of the key extends horizontally. The key is journaled in the opposed faccsof the two parts, 4 and 5, of the insulating block and in addition' has bearing in the two arms `of the U-sbaped bearlng piece, 15, which i/sfalso secured by the screw,

11, its two arms embracing the up, er limb of.

aid up er ly presses elastically up against the tumbler block, 14, and bears against one of its longer osition, as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2, yie ding downward when the key is turned to on posithe spring contact piece, 12a.

tion,--with the longer dimension of the block extending vertically or in the ,direction of the axis of the'sockct,-as shown in full line in said Fig. 2. VVh'en there is no lamp in the socket, the block, 1.4, is not in contact with t-hc' contact piece, 7, even when the key is turned to on position, because said contact piece, 7, normally stands as shown in At the normal position of this- Fig. 2, 'with its lower limb up against the under side of the upper wall of the switch chamber which is not reached by the end of the tumbler block. When, however, the lam is screwed fully into the contact shell, 6, 1t forces down the contact piece, 7, until the limb is pressed upon the up er end of the tumbler block, 14, when the atter is in fullline position shown in Fig. 2; but the insertion of the lam does not carry the contact piece, 7, down ar enough to reach the blockA osition shown in when it is in dotted-line said figure. It will be un erstood from this description that there is a double gap in the circuit connections formed by the parts mounted on the insulating base, said gap bean the ing between the tumbler block, 14,

contact piece, 7 Part ofthe gap is closed by turning the tumbler block from-dotted line to full line position,-that is, from oilHV to on position of .the ke ;-and the remainder of the gap is close by screwing in the lamp so as to force the contact piece down into the tumbler block, but neither one of these operations without the other will close i the gap so as to bring the lamp into circuit.

1. In an electric lamp socket, in combination with an insulatin base, electric circuit connections mounted t ereon for connecting the two carbon filament terminals of the lamp, said circuit connections having a ga and a switch device in suc`h gap, the switc device .being adapted to only partly close the gapby rotation from ofi to on posi- 'tion, one of the elements of said connections being movable to completeth'e closing of the gap and being mounted for such movement y the insertion of the lamp.

2. In an electric lamp socket, in combination vwith an insulating base electric vcircuit connections mounted on suc base comprising a switch device and a key for rotating it,

partly closed bythe switch evice, one elementjn said connections being a piece which yieldingly '.opposes the insertion of the lamp and which 1s moved by such insertion for completing the closingof the gap. 3. In an electric lamp socket, in combinationwith an insulating base, means -for connecting the lamp therewith; electric circuit connections mounted on the insulating basel for connecting the two terminals of the lam filament, said circuit being formed with av gap, and a switch device in such ga the connection at one side of said gap `eing nor- Vsaid-connections having a ga whichl'ls'only mally out of position for connecting with the A switch device and being exposed in the ath of insertion of the lamp for movement t ereby into position for contact'with the switch device. p l

4. ln an electric lamp socket, in combination with' an insulating-.base and means for mounting the lamp thereon; electric circuit connections mounted on the insulating base for connecting the two terminals of the lamp iilainent, and said circuit connections having two parts which are movable to complete the' tions mounted on the base for connectin the two terminals of the lamp filament, sai circuit connections comprising two-parts which are movable for completing the circuit, oneA of said parts being a switch device having a key for operating it, the other of said parts being a resilient contact piece for making one of the lamp contacts and being mounted so as to be normally out of circuit-completing positions at all positions of the switch device and being ex osed in the path of insertion of the lam an yieldingly resisting such insertion an adapted to be moved therebyT into Acircuit-closing position.

6. In an electric lam socket, in combination with the shell an cap having registering apertures at their interlapping margins and a spring catch device mounted on one of said parts having a catch nose which snaps through the corresponding apertures of said two parts when they are registered.

7. In an electric lamp socket, in combinal tion with 'al shell and cap having each two oppositely situated apertures adapted to reg- -ister respectively with the corresponding apertures of the other part; two oppositely situated spring catch devices mounte on one of said parts having catch noses which snap through the corresponding apertures of said parts when they are registered for securing them together.

8. In an electric lam socket, in combination with a shell and ase adapted to tele scope one within the other for engagement, each of said` parts having at their marginal portions which are interlapped when they are so telescopedl corresponding apertures adapted to register; spring catch devices mounted on one of said telescoped parts having catch noses which snap through the registered apertures respectively for securing the two parts together, said catch noses having their edges which are encountered by the edges of the'apertures'on the opposite part when said telescoping elements are pulled in direction for' disengagement sloped or beveled at the outer portion and extending substan-` tially directly across said enco untering edges at the inner portion, said catches being exteriorly accessible when engaged for springing them to a position for encounter of the beveled portion of said edges in the disen,

` gaging movement.

9. In an electric lamp socket in combination with a shell and ca adapted to telescope for engagement, said te escoped arts having correspondinga -ertures adapte to register when they lare te escoped; a spring catch de vice mounted on the cap having catch noses for snapping throu h said apertures of both parts for securing t em'together.

10. In an electric lamp socket in combination with a shell and ca adapted to telescope for engagement, said tdlescoped parts having corresponding apertures adapted to register when they are telescoped a spring catch del vice mounted on the ycap having catch noses for snapping through said apertures of both parts for securing them to ether, said catch noses being sloped or beveIed at theirouter portion and having a square shoulder at the inner portionl on the side toward the cap for positively securing the shell against disengagement.

1 1. In an electric lamp socket in combination with a shell and ca adapted to telescope for engagement, said te escoped parts having corresponding a ertures adapte to register when they are te escoped; a spring catch device mounted on the cap having catch noses for snapping through said apertures of both parts for securing them to ether, said catch noses being sloped or beve ed at their outer portion andvhaving a s uare shoulder at the inner portion on thev si e toward the cap for positively securing the shellagainst disengagement, said catch noses being long enough to protrude out through the outer of said telico escoped lelements for pressure'thereon tol spring them in to carry said shoulders out of engaging position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Peru, Ind., this 2d day of March, 1907. l

cHAs. e. BURTON.

Witnesses:

M, A. Foss, KURT A. NEUrER'r.w 

